Chapter 169: The New Ruler of Pentos

The process of occupying Pentos went exceptionally smoothly.

In fact, this was inevitable. 

The existence of dragons alone was enough to frighten everyone, and the Dothraki were the most powerful cavalry. 

Without the protection of the city walls, there were hardly any armies on land that could stand against them.

In accordance with the nature of the Dothraki, after winning the war, they usually would have indulged in plundering and looting the city. 

However, Alaric's attack on Pentos wasn't for slaughter and wealth; it was for occupation and the people. 

Therefore, before entering the city, Daenerys issued strict orders, prohibiting the Dothraki from killing, kidnapping women, and looting within the city.

As a newly conquered army, the Dothraki were eager to show their loyalty to Daenerys and their faith in the Dragon God. 

So, they mostly perfectly executed the orders—individual dissenters were torn to pieces by the dragon patrolling the sky.

The citizens didn't suffer much harm from their entry into the city. 

Instead, many thugs and ruffians took advantage of the chaos to commit atrocities. 

This time, it was the Dothraki who maintained order, which made the citizens of Pentos feel somewhat grateful towards this strange army.

After Pentos was completely occupied, Daenerys issued her first order as the new ruler of the city—gather all the citizens in the city square.

Such a gathering could easily be misunderstood as the Dothraki planning to harm them, enslaving them, or wiping them out, but under the threat of weapons, the people of Pentos reluctantly gathered in the city square, waiting for their conqueror's decision.

In the square where the citizens gathered, Alaric, as usual, transformed from his dragon form into a human and then displayed his miracles to the citizens.

In Pentos, faith was free and chaotic, ranging from Faith of the Seven to the widely worshiped R'hllor, to the favorite of old women, the Weeping Lady.

The Lion of Night favored by merchants, the hooded man revered by the poor, and the horse god worshiped by the Dothraki. 

However, the churches of these gods hadn't brought miracles for a long time. 

To maintain faith, they relied on trickery. 

But under the real miracles and the threat of dragons and weapons, most of the citizens immediately expressed their belief in the new gods.

Indeed, in this ignorant medieval world, what could be more moving than creating a real miracle?

Since the Dragon God was acknowledged, everything became easier. 

Daenerys was then confirmed as the ruler, and in front of the citizens, she announced a series of new measures and laws, and waived some taxes. 

This immediately gained the welcome of most citizens.

Subsequently, Daenerys also announced the disposition of the soldiers defending the city and the original rulers—the Magisters. 

Most soldiers and Magisters were pardoned. Only a few leaders were sentenced to death for resisting the army of the Dragon God. The remaining Magisters were fined to a certain extent.

This was a win-win situation. The citizens weren't treated cruelly, and their lives could continue, perhaps even improving. Most Magisters saved their lives. 

In the face of the brutal Dothraki and Dragon, what did losing some gold even mean?

They had always done this—no, in the past, the Dothraki didn't even have to enter the city, and the Magisters would naturally offer gold and various treasures.

Unfortunately, during the banquet held to welcome the new lord and the messenger of the gods, these Magisters found out that these strange Dothraki and their leader were indeed intending to rule the city for the long term, unlike the previous Dothraki who would withdraw immediately after gaining enough profit.

In fact, from the moment they entered the city, with the first order issued by Daenerys, she had been striving to maintain peace and stability in the city. 

Whether it was giving up killing and burning and instead maintaining order, or reducing taxes instead of extorting them by force, these orders made it easy to see this.

However, of course, taxes weren't really reduced. She only reduced the tax rates for ordinary citizens and craftsmen. 

She increased taxes for all merchants and required them to pay taxes only in gold and silver.

Such orders were indeed the first of its kind for a free city.

In the Free Cities, most lucrative businesses were controlled by the Magisters. 

These Magisters themselves were major merchants who gained power through wealth and maintained wealth through power. 

Now, with Daenerys' arrival, they lost most of their power, and now, she aimed at their wealth.

However, this was indeed beneficial because the city's merchants were only a minority, but they possessed most of the wealth. 

Through such measures, Daenerys could increase tax revenue compared to the past, where taxes in the Free Cities only increased. 

Also in this situation she would only offend a very small number of people, and the vast majority of commoners would cheer for her...

But would Daenerys, who controlled the army, fear this tiny minority of merchants?

Originally, these Magisters and big merchants hoped that Daenerys would compromise with them because they were the big fish in the city. 

They thought that Daenerys' rule needed them because her subordinates were just a bunch of thugs who only knew how to fight, and Daenerys herself was just a young girl, clueless about economics and politics. 

Without them, Daenerys might not even be able to collect a single coin in taxes.

However, a few days later, they found out that they were wrong.

On one hand, Daenerys valued and supported some of the smaller businesses that ranked lower among them. 

When these merchants found profitable opportunities, they immediately abandoned their former allies and joined the new master, providing Daenerys with an entry point to fully understand the situation in Pentos.

On the other hand, Daenerys began to select people from among the citizens, craftsmen, and free men who could write, calculate, and had certain ideas and prestige as candidates for grassroots officials. 

Although these people were not wealthy, they would be greedy once they became officials, but they effectively balanced the power of the merchants.

In addition, Daenerys herself possessed innate great leadership. 

She never forgot her miserable childhood, which made her more compassionate compared to other rulers. 

She consistently pursued her policies of justice and fairness, repeatedly entering the common people to explain her policies and prevent unfair things from happening.

Although lacking in administrative experience, it was clear that Daenerys had learned enough governance methods from Alaric. His 5,000 years of Earth history were his treasure trove.

In the past few days, she spent every night with Alaric, crazily absorbing various knowledge about commerce, agriculture, economy, politics, religion, and so on, from him.

And then dispelling her loneliness after the end of the study.

Now, although Daenerys still had some naive and immature flaws in politics, she could indeed be considered somewhat skillful. 

But she wasn't worried about her lack of experience because Alaric stood behind her. Even if she made any mistakes, Alaric could make up for them with absolute power.

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